FAA furloughs lead to flight delays

An American Airlines plane takes off at LAX International airport in Los Angeles Monday, April 22, 2013. Some fliers headed to Los Angeles International Airport were met with delays yesterday on the first day of staffing cuts for air traffic controllers because of government spending reductions. Budget cuts that kicked in last month forced the FAA to give controllers extra days off. Commercial airline flights moved smoothly throughout most of the country on Sunday, April 21, 2013, the first day air traffic controllers were subject to furloughs resulting from government spending cuts, though some delays appeared in the late evening in and around New York. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Associated Press

Published: Monday, April 22, 2013 at 2:08 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, April 22, 2013 at 2:08 p.m.

Florida airline service ran into a headwind Monday on the first weekday since Federal Aviation Administration furloughs of air traffic controllers took effect.

Passengers faced delayed flights as air traffic controllers in the Southeast coped with stormy weather and a smaller workforce, the result of sequester-mandated cutbacks aimed at saving money.

“Today, since at least from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., there were delays in all flights headed from the rest of the U.S. down to Florida,” said Mark Duell, vice president of operations at FlightAware, a Houston-based company that monitors air traffic for consumers and commercial customers.

In Southwest Florida, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and Tampa International Airport were at least moderately impacted by the delays.

In all, the FAA estimated about 400 domestic flights were delayed, the result of staff reductions from furloughs that began over the weekend.

“There are quite a few delays,” said Tampa International Airport spokeswoman Janet Zink.

“Forty-six departures and 56 arrivals,” Zink said. “People headed to Tampa International Airport to catch a flight, or pick up passengers, should be sure to check with airlines for the most up-to-date flight information.”

Although some delays Monday were longer than two hours, the average was 50 minutes, Duell said.

The Florida airports most affected by late arrivals on Monday were Orlando International and Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International.

“It was anyone destined for Florida,” Duell said.

In all, more than 1,500 air traffic controllers were forced to take an unpaid day off Monday because of the federal budget cuts.

Some flights into New York, Baltimore and Washington were delayed because remaining controllers could not keep up with the backlog of flights.

One out of every five flights at New York's LaGuardia International scheduled to take off before noon on Monday was delayed 15 minutes or more, according to FlightAware, the tracking service.

By comparison, last Monday morning just 2 percent of LaGuardia's flights were delayed. Monday is typically one of the busiest days at airports, as many business travelers set out on that day.

FAA officials have said they have no choice but to furlough all 47,000 agency employees — including nearly 15,000 air traffic controllers. Each employee will lose one day of work every other week. The FAA has said that planes will have to take off and land less frequently, to avoid overloading controllers on duty.

On top of the budget cuts that affected tower manpower at the start of the workweek, controllers handling en-route space along the Florida-Georgia border also were forced to deal with inclement weather issues.

“The weather, combined with reduced staffing, led to them basically holding aircraft at their origin airports before letting them go, as they metered them out to go to Florida,” Duell said.

Gov. Rick Scott on Monday held a news conference in Tampa to decry the FAA furloughs, which he says take unfair aim at Florida.

“Florida communities will be disproportionately impacted by these furloughs, as we are the only state in the nation with four large hub airports, including Orlando International, Tampa International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Miami International,” Scott wrote in a letter to President Obama dated Sunday and shared with reporters.

At Sarasota-Bradenton International, chief executive Fredrick “Rick” Piccolo said some flights also had been delayed.

“We have seen some late arrivals, from 30 minutes to an hour,” Piccolo said. “Our impact from sequestration has been more of a trickle-down effect from larger hubs and major cities than directly here.”

Should the furloughs grind on through the rest of the year, Colorado-based aviation consultant Michael Boyd predicts that smaller airports would feel the brunt of the federal cutbacks.

“Smaller airports like Gainesville and Daytona Beach will get hurt,” Boyd said. “If the system continues to be artificially constricted, airlines are going to say ‘I have to cut out someplace.' ”

Meanwhile, this region's other major airport — and one that could sustain a hit if the FAA cuts drag on — is in a holding pattern.

Punta Gorda Airport tower crew, who are employed by a private company under contract with the FAA, are scheduled to be laid off June 15.

In all, personnel at 140 airports nationwide are slated to be affected as the FAA seeks to cut expenses as part of an $85 billion reduction.

“In addition to the safety aspect, the effect of the furloughs will be to slow down traffic if this continues,” said Gary Quill, the airport's executive director. “So you're going to see a cascading effect throughout the system. It is very upsetting.”

But Punta Gorda could be spared a significant loss of service as a result of the FAA furloughs.

Allegiant Air, the airport's lone carrier, has said it will continue to fly scheduled flights in and out of Punta Gorda even without the control tower personnel.

The carrier said last month that its pilots are trained to fly both visually and with assistance of other, larger airport control towers like the one in Tampa.

“Allegiant doesn't mess around with these kind of things,” said Boyd, the airport consultant. “If their system is being materially hurt, they will take action.”

Some travel groups have warned that the disruptions could hurt the economy overall.

“If these disruptions unfold as predicted, business travelers will stay home, severely impacting not only the travel industry but the economy overall,” the Global Business Travel Association warned in a letter Friday to the head of the FAA, Michael P. Huerta.

Two airline trade associations, meanwhile, and the nation's largest pilots union filed a lawsuit Friday asking the U.S. Court of Appeals to halt the furloughs.

No hearing date has been set.

Delta Air Lines, the largest carrier at Sarasota-Bradenton International, said it was “disappointed” in the furloughs and warned travelers Monday to expect delays in the following cities: New York, Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.

In a letter to the FAA Friday, Delta general counsel Ben Hirst asked the agency to reconsider the furloughs, saying it could make the cuts elsewhere and could transfer funds from “non-safety activities” to support the FAA's “core mission of efficiently managing the nation's airspace.”

<p>Florida airline service ran into a headwind Monday on the first weekday since Federal Aviation Administration furloughs of air traffic controllers took effect.</p><p>Passengers faced delayed flights as air traffic controllers in the Southeast coped with stormy weather and a smaller workforce, the result of sequester-mandated cutbacks aimed at saving money.</p><p>“Today, since at least from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., there were delays in all flights headed from the rest of the U.S. down to Florida,” said Mark Duell, vice president of operations at FlightAware, a Houston-based company that monitors air traffic for consumers and commercial customers.</p><p>In Southwest Florida, Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport and Tampa International Airport were at least moderately impacted by the delays.</p><p>In all, the FAA estimated about 400 domestic flights were delayed, the result of staff reductions from furloughs that began over the weekend.</p><p>“There are quite a few delays,” said Tampa International Airport spokeswoman Janet Zink.</p><p>“Forty-six departures and 56 arrivals,” Zink said. “People headed to Tampa International Airport to catch a flight, or pick up passengers, should be sure to check with airlines for the most up-to-date flight information.”</p><p>Although some delays Monday were longer than two hours, the average was 50 minutes, Duell said.</p><p>The Florida airports most affected by late arrivals on Monday were Orlando International and Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International.</p><p>“It was anyone destined for Florida,” Duell said.</p><p>In all, more than 1,500 air traffic controllers were forced to take an unpaid day off Monday because of the federal budget cuts.</p><p>Some flights into New York, Baltimore and Washington were delayed because remaining controllers could not keep up with the backlog of flights.</p><p>One out of every five flights at New York's LaGuardia International scheduled to take off before noon on Monday was delayed 15 minutes or more, according to FlightAware, the tracking service.</p><p>By comparison, last Monday morning just 2 percent of LaGuardia's flights were delayed. Monday is typically one of the busiest days at airports, as many business travelers set out on that day.</p><p>FAA officials have said they have no choice but to furlough all 47,000 agency employees — including nearly 15,000 air traffic controllers. Each employee will lose one day of work every other week. The FAA has said that planes will have to take off and land less frequently, to avoid overloading controllers on duty.</p><p>On top of the budget cuts that affected tower manpower at the start of the workweek, controllers handling en-route space along the Florida-Georgia border also were forced to deal with inclement weather issues. </p><p>“The weather, combined with reduced staffing, led to them basically holding aircraft at their origin airports before letting them go, as they metered them out to go to Florida,” Duell said. </p><p>Gov. Rick Scott on Monday held a news conference in Tampa to decry the FAA furloughs, which he says take unfair aim at Florida.</p><p>“Florida communities will be disproportionately impacted by these furloughs, as we are the only state in the nation with four large hub airports, including Orlando International, Tampa International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Miami International,” Scott wrote in a letter to President Obama dated Sunday and shared with reporters.</p><p>At Sarasota-Bradenton International, chief executive Fredrick “Rick” Piccolo said some flights also had been delayed.</p><p>“We have seen some late arrivals, from 30 minutes to an hour,” Piccolo said. “Our impact from sequestration has been more of a trickle-down effect from larger hubs and major cities than directly here.”</p><p>Should the furloughs grind on through the rest of the year, Colorado-based aviation consultant Michael Boyd predicts that smaller airports would feel the brunt of the federal cutbacks.</p><p>“Smaller airports like Gainesville and Daytona Beach will get hurt,” Boyd said. “If the system continues to be artificially constricted, airlines are going to say 'I have to cut out someplace.' ”</p><p>Meanwhile, this region's other major airport — and one that could sustain a hit if the FAA cuts drag on — is in a holding pattern.</p><p>Punta Gorda Airport tower crew, who are employed by a private company under contract with the FAA, are scheduled to be laid off June 15.</p><p>In all, personnel at 140 airports nationwide are slated to be affected as the FAA seeks to cut expenses as part of an $85 billion reduction.</p><p>“In addition to the safety aspect, the effect of the furloughs will be to slow down traffic if this continues,” said Gary Quill, the airport's executive director. “So you're going to see a cascading effect throughout the system. It is very upsetting.”</p><p>But Punta Gorda could be spared a significant loss of service as a result of the FAA furloughs.</p><p>Allegiant Air, the airport's lone carrier, has said it will continue to fly scheduled flights in and out of Punta Gorda even without the control tower personnel.</p><p>The carrier said last month that its pilots are trained to fly both visually and with assistance of other, larger airport control towers like the one in Tampa.</p><p>“Allegiant doesn't mess around with these kind of things,” said Boyd, the airport consultant. “If their system is being materially hurt, they will take action.”</p><p>Some travel groups have warned that the disruptions could hurt the economy overall.</p><p>“If these disruptions unfold as predicted, business travelers will stay home, severely impacting not only the travel industry but the economy overall,” the Global Business Travel Association warned in a letter Friday to the head of the FAA, Michael P. Huerta. </p><p>Two airline trade associations, meanwhile, and the nation's largest pilots union filed a lawsuit Friday asking the U.S. Court of Appeals to halt the furloughs.</p><p>No hearing date has been set. </p><p>Delta Air Lines, the largest carrier at Sarasota-Bradenton International, said it was “disappointed” in the furloughs and warned travelers Monday to expect delays in the following cities: New York, Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego.</p><p>In a letter to the FAA Friday, Delta general counsel Ben Hirst asked the agency to reconsider the furloughs, saying it could make the cuts elsewhere and could transfer funds from “non-safety activities” to support the FAA's “core mission of efficiently managing the nation's airspace.”</p><p><i>Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.</p><p></i></p>